Patreon will have to use Apple's in-app purchase system or be removed from the App Store
Patreon will have to use Apple's in-app purchase system or be removed from the App Store
Patreon will use Apple's in-app purchase system before the end of the year.
Hold up (fta):
By this November, all creators can only offer a subscription-based plan on iOS as the app store doesn't support other formats, such as first-of-the-month or per-creation plans. As a result, Patreon is rolling out a 16-month-long migration process that will shift all memberships to subscriptions by November 2025. At that point, subscription-based plans will be the only option available, unfortunately proving Apple's far-reaching power.
I'm unclear on what this means: is Patreon eliminating first-of-the-month and per-creation plans on ALL platforms? Or just on Apple platforms?
Seems like it's a backend change and they're removing per creation entirely. Got an email from one of the creators I follow about getting suggestions on how to restructure their tiers for the new system. My guess is it would be tricky to setup a way to have creators do android/web tiers and apple tiers, not to mention confusing. And of course they can't just pull a Spotify and have a pop-up that says 'sorry you must use the web to subscribe' on iPhones.
Because using a web browser is soo 1994
Fuck Apple. They deserve 0%.
They should be paying app developers to stay on their platform. Fuck this sick duopoly.
Grats to Patreon and/or the EU for the easy payday🎉
Why does patreon even need to be an app? What value does the app bring that the website can't deliver?
Background play of exclusive podcasts for one thing. I suppose that might be possible in a browser but playing media from a media player app instead of a browser is certainly going to be a better experience.
Just offer file downloads. I swear the society is regressing technologically speaking (not aiming at you OP)
Every podcast I support on Patreon provides a link that you can plug into your podcatcher to subscribe. I don’t need the Patreon app to listen to the podcast then, just Pocket Casts or whatever I’m using for all my podcasts.
Even the video links are YouTube links.
I don’t doubt that the app makes life easier in some ways, but the website works just fine.
There are a lot of people out there that will not use a website and only use an app for things. I'm willing to bet there's some users of patreon on ios that don't even know there is a website.
definitely. i know so many people from my school who’s iphone home screen is just… pages full of apps. we’re talking 40+ apps on average. they always say it’s weird how i use a website for almost everything, and then they complain about their storage space :/
Unfortunately, I think you hit the nail on the head. Apple knows this too. Also, unfortunate for those Apple-sheep 🙄
It's because they are unable to develop a website that isn't crap.
PWA should be the way. As long as the website is mobile responsive, PWA should be preferred in cases like this.
A functional user experience?
EU to the rescue?
Yeah, just give it another 7 years. This should have been an open and shut case decades ago and yet still it persists.
Easy solution: the app only redirects you to the website via browser intent.
That is no good with Apple policy.
App cannot tell user that they get better deal anywhere.
From my understanding, thats also very much not allowed on the app store, and is something they check for.
I thought Apple lost this war already?
Yes and no. EU told them they need to let other app stores on their devices. Apple did their typical non-compliant song and dance, making devs jump through all kinds of absurd hoops and at the end of it all they still have to pay Apple 26% or something, so basically complete non-compliance. The EU has yet to do anything about it, as far as I can tell.
They also denied Epic's request, stating that their install button looks too much like Apple's.
They'll hinge their position on the least good faith interpretation of EU's anticompetitive lawsuits, and why wouldn't they, they make more money in between these lawsuits than they pay EU for breaking the rules.
A few times. But the old man don't seem to learn.
They lost it in the EU, but did it change for the rest of the world? Can't really read from the article what region they are talking about.